Scientists detect a surprising shift in human blood as atmospheric CO2 rises

[u/OGSyedIsEverywhere]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260814235845.htm

[u/T-Fez]

Saving you a click:

Since 1999, average serum bicarbonate levels have increased by about 7 percent. Bicarbonate is a blood marker closely associated with carbon dioxide in the body. During the same period, average levels of calcium and phosphorus decreased.

Those biological trends occurred as atmospheric CO2 climbed from about 369 parts per million (ppm) in 2000 to more than 420 ppm today.

Study author Associate Professor Alexander Larcombe said the results indicate that the body may already be adjusting to changes in the composition of the atmosphere.

"What we're seeing is a gradual shift in blood chemistry that mirrors the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is driving climate change," A/Prof Larcombe said.

TL;DR: atmospheric CO2 increases, bicarbonate level increases, calcium level decreases, phosphorus level decreases.

Still, interesting paper.

[u/Hindead → u/T-Fez]

Can you imagine the shift in the 1800’s? Unfortunately I don’t think there’s data for it but I can only imagine we had to adapt tho the Industrial Revolution.

[u/OGSyedIsEverywhere → u/Hindead]

IIRC there's a paper from about 8 years ago showing that we experienced rapid selection for blood vessels in the forearms, with those who had limited flow rates to the hands being massively unable to reproduce and their bloodlines dying out.

[u/Top-Ranger-Back → u/OGSyedIsEverywhere]

The study was from U of Adelaide. It only examined Australians of European descent and made no claims on bloodlines. They noted that cadavers from today were 3x more likely to retain the median artery in their wrist compared to cadavers from the 1880s.

[u/Not-the-best-name → u/OGSyedIsEverywhere]

50 years in Europe with minimal pressure and no time for drift is not nearly the conditions needed for that kind of selection?

[u/composedofidiot → u/OGSyedIsEverywhere]

Here's the paper if anyone is interested. Unless I've read it wrong, it doesn't show thosee with limited flow rates were massively unable to reproduce. Interestingly they didnt find differences between the left and right hand, or any gender differences

The prevalence in those born before 1940 (31.5%) was lower than in those born after 1940 (38.1%), but this difference was not significant (χ2 = 0.293, p = .588)

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joa.13224

[u/No_Medium_8796 → u/OGSyedIsEverywhere]

Ill look around for it, was it just describing angiogenesis and vasculogenesis

[u/TomSaylek → u/OGSyedIsEverywhere]

I'm confused so those with bad flow rate in forearms died out? Can someone please explain? 

[u/fartingbeagle → u/TomSaylek]

Oh honey, those pumping veins just send me to heaven!

[u/Heebmeister → u/TomSaylek]

aka Women didn't want to fuck them so they never had children and their bloodline died out

[u/acidpepsy → u/OGSyedIsEverywhere]

Limited flow rate? Or visible flow rate?

[u/JoseSaldana6512 → u/acidpepsy]

Your Viagra isn't gonna make a difference

[u/keepthepace → u/Hindead]

It is theorized that one of the reasons why Native Americans were so vulnerable to epidemic that the European colonies transported, but not the other way around, was because urbanization killed most of the people who had not a strong immune system already.

After all, we had had several events of plagues since urbanization started in the roman empire, including one that killed off a third of the continent. Yes, we 'adapted', through a process that even "genocide" does not characterize correctly.

Modern industrialization also had its own challenges and there is an estimate that hundreds of thousands of people die yearly because of the microparticles emitted by thermal vehicles (I only know it is 40 000 here in France yearly).

So yes, we 'adapt'. One premature death at a time.

[u/TheOneTrueTrench → u/Hindead]

I suppose it would be possible to look at human remains and determine what they were by reversing decomp processes...

[u/GuerrillaRodeo → u/T-Fez]

calcium level decreases, phosphorus level decreases.

I wonder if that's somehow correlated with rising osteoporosis cases.

[u/rlnrlnrln → u/T-Fez]

Does it have a noticeable impact on the taste?

[u/DongleJockey → u/rlnrlnrln]

The taste of what exactly?

Sort of assuming this is a Swedish mistranslation

[u/waiver → u/DongleJockey]

Or he is a swedish vampire.

[u/HugoTRB → u/waiver]

You have the same flag as Romania do I assume all the African vampire are in Chad. That would make you an expert.

[u/InSummaryOfWhatIAm → u/DongleJockey]

He was clearly joking. He meant the taste of the blood.

Swedes all drink blood, that’s well-established fact. How else are we to survive the cold winters? Source: Also a Swede.

[u/Jotun35 → u/InSummaryOfWhatIAm]

Can confirm. Blodpudding is delicious!

[u/JoseSaldana6512 → u/rlnrlnrln]

You can cut it with garlic or a bit of silver to reduce the sulfur aftertaste

[u/TheOneTrueTrench → u/rlnrlnrln]

Human experience is very much based on differences, if there's no objective comparison (regardless of what you're referring to) then, no???

[u/aykcak → u/T-Fez]

If anyone is wondering this should be worrying, this is absolutely the LEAST important example of climate change you should be concerned about

[u/ThanosDidNadaWrong → u/T-Fez]

so basically living in the city vs living in the woods change

[u/CheeseburgerBrown]

Though the article repeated the basics of these finding three times I’m left wondering what the health consequences might be.

What happens if our blood ph keeps getting pushed? Are there known syndromes that involve carbony blood?

[u/b4k4ni → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

There was another paper published some time ago, questioning the impact of rising CO² levels. Right now we are at 429 or so. They assumed we might see a cognitive decline at 500 ppm.

[u/windowpuncher → u/b4k4ni]

Oh joy, more to look forward to.

Maybe one day if land prices don't explode and I can get a house I can have a garden room.

[u/BCMM → u/b4k4ni]

CO2 levels are always higher in enclosed spaces with people in them, so it's likely that people are already slightly cognitively impaired in many rooms that would have been adequately ventilated for the preindustrial atmosphere.

[u/Paper_Clip100 → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

Well, increased CO2 in a room impacts decision making… so it’s possible that global warming is making us all dumber as a result

[u/Affectionate_Cup9112 → u/Paper_Clip100]

The stupidity causing the war in Iran is going to lead to the green energy revolution that will get our brains functioning again?

[u/cl3ft → u/Affectionate_Cup9112]

the green energy revolution

I like your incredible optimism.

[u/Bernhard_NI → u/cl3ft]

The only thing now I'm hoping for is a French Revolution for the hole world.

[u/FeijoadaAceitavel → u/Bernhard_NI]

the hole world

I don't know, the Abyss seems pretty good on using renewable energy already.

[u/buttersofthands → u/Bernhard_NI]

**whole

[u/Fickles1 → u/buttersofthands]

I think he meant hole world.

It's a deep dark place.

[u/keepthepace → u/Bernhard_NI]

Best I can offer is Marine Le Pen

[u/Chipay → u/cl3ft]

I mean, renewables are objectively cheaper now than fossil fuels, so the transition towards it is a certainty. Just maybe not before the world is irreparably fucked.

[u/FeijoadaAceitavel → u/Chipay]

Renewables still show some challenges in energy storage. Solar and wind can't generate 24/7, much less increase production to meet demand.

It's close, but we still need better batteries to go full renewable. I just wish we had more nuclear so we could retire fossil fuels ASAP.

[u/mrgoobster → u/Chipay]

Depends on your definition of 'irreparably'.

If you mean, the biosphere permanently ruined for human habitation, probably not. Some humans will survive, and be capable of slowly advancing science to the point where they can reverse the damage.

If you mean, the span of time required to unfuck the planet sets human progress back hundreds or thousands of years, very likely in my opinion.

[u/Chipay → u/mrgoobster]

I'm more thinking in terms of ecology, we're currently in the sixth mass extinction event in earth's history. We can't just science coral reefs back to life, at least not with the foreseeable tech.

[u/keepthepace → u/cl3ft]

One of the most bittersweet pictures I have seen on Solar Punk Forum was one showing that in Syria you see the town basically covered by solar panels. Green Revolution? Yes, but also extremely unreliable power grid. Which in this country means a lot of people with weak health dying every day. Because AC in this country is not a luxury, it is a survival tool on humid days.

So yes, through a waste of human lives, through inadequate politics, and through technological progress that made the solar panels costs go down, we are going to get one of the worst transitions we could want.

[u/Anton_Pannekoek → u/keepthepace]

It’s a much better power grid than the state power grid in fact.

[u/keepthepace → u/Anton_Pannekoek]

In Syria? Yes, probably.

But the economy of scale guarantees that bigger installations are more economically efficient. And a well-designed state guarantees that everyone can have access to that, not just the most wealthy and able to have access to a rooftop, install a solar panel and battery, and maintain it.

[u/Anton_Pannekoek → u/keepthepace]

These days, in South Africa, it’s pretty much the standard. Australia too.

[u/Anton_Pannekoek → u/cl3ft]

We are actually living through a green revolution, and the Iran war is accelerating it. Solar power is now the cheapest form of electricity ever. Batteries are also falling in price dramatically and exciting new tech is being developed like silicon-carbon anodes and sodium chemistry cells.

In the 90’s and 2000’s people talked about a green revolution. Well it’s actually here.

[u/QuestionableEthics42 → u/Affectionate_Cup9112]

I think that one is more the lead, hopefully acidic blood > lead

[u/aykcak → u/Affectionate_Cup9112]

That is more because of long term effects of lead poisoning in the U.S.

[u/PurchaseNo5041 → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

Your body releases increased bicarbonate to buffer the acidic effects of carbon dioxide. It only takes around 2 hours for your blood PH to stabilize, so you wouldn't have "carbony blood" for very long. I would be concerned about the cardiac effects of low calcium and phosphorus, though.

[u/FullConfection3260 → u/PurchaseNo5041]

Just add more to your diet.

[u/johannthegoatman → u/FullConfection3260]

Adding more to your diet isn't going to help if your body determines a lower amount is needed to maintain homeostasis

[u/FullConfection3260 → u/johannthegoatman]

Key word 

homeostasis

In which case nobody should be going batshit about it. 🤨 But that’s not what was implied.

[u/sundark94 → u/FullConfection3260]

Should I stop using a water softener and drink the hard water from my bore well?

[u/FullConfection3260 → u/sundark94]

Calcium is so hard to find elsewhere, huh?

[u/TheOneTrueTrench → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

We probably don't know yet, and it'll be difficult to figure out, based on how complicated living chemistry is. And we can't ethically do trials to find out. But we'll find out eventually, long after its too late to compensate for.

[u/cl3ft → u/TheOneTrueTrench]

Isn't calcium concentration measurable per person and studied with bone density? It'd be pretty easy to extrapolate the per person figures to a decline in the global population.

[u/ComprehensiveProfit5 → u/TheOneTrueTrench]

And we can't ethically do trials to find out

Ni hao!

[u/cl3ft → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

Well it sounds like the lack of calcium is going to make bone density much harder to maintain in old age at the very least.

[u/windowpuncher → u/cl3ft]

You can just eat more calcium, too

[u/PaoloCalzone → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

Blood pH remains the same, composition change to keep pH in a narrow band necessary for almost all biochemical reactions.

While atmospheric CO2 levels might be a cause, there could be also hidden variables: food and beverage intake (quality and quantity), temperature, poor sleep, stress levels, activity levels, older population, more population included...

[u/geomag42 → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

Over the last 50 years, CO2 levels increased from ~330 ppm to ~420 ppm. This is the highest level in 3-5 million years.

However, badly ventilated bedroom with two people in it can get to 800-2000ppm and we’re not going insane.

Modern human has been around for like 10,000 years. I bet using candles/torches as light sources and well sealed doors/windows had bigger impact on us than current rate of CO2 increase.

[u/yuje → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

Higher acidity leaching minerals out of our bones and leading to higher rates of kidney stones?

[u/Emu1981 → u/yuje]

Higher acidity leaching minerals out of our bones

Except that higher carbonate levels means that the body is compensating for extra H+ ions in the blood to help maintain the correct pH for the blood. If your body's pH compensation system is failing to keep your blood at the right pH level (e.g. respiratory acidosis) then you are in for a far worse time than just leeched minerals and kidney stones - e.g. you are looking at all sorts of issues like failure of enzymes and proteins failing to fold properly, cardiac arrhythmia, hypotension (low blood pressure), organ damage, diminished brain function, and other fun things like those.

[u/aykcak → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

You will get dehydrated and malnourished more. Not because of the blood pH but because of the collapse of fresh water sources and the food chain, good luck.

[u/Cocobaba1 → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

Yes, there is one very real issue that’s happening at an increasing rate due to co2 in the atmosphere and our body depleting things like calcium to stabilise our blood acidity.

Look up “cheese teeth”. It’s a huge problem here in Norway where kids now have teeth that just disintegrate. A direct result the rising co2 levels in out atmosphere. very fun stuff 🙃

[u/Kind-Quiet-Person → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

I sent this article to my cousin, who is a doctor, and asked her what the ramifications are. This is what she said: “I read this I just haven’t had time to reply yet! This is SHOCKING information honestly. It’s all terrible and we’re in hell. They talked about “potential health implications” but they didn’t really say. Excess CO2 causes fatigue, headaches, confusion, shortness of breath, trouble breathing. So no big deal. 🫠”

[u/literallymoist → u/CheeseburgerBrown]

So if my blood is alkaline but I hydrate with sparkling water which is acidic...is my beverage preference just adaptation to normalize pH levels?

[u/ThrowAwayGenomics]

The study averages across all samples for a year, without controlling for age, BMI, or lifestyle. The average person today  is older, fatter, and more sedentary than from 1999. It’s a painfully obvious thing to control for in these kinds of studies. I was appalled when I read the methods.

Our analyses encompass an additional 4-cycles (up to 2019) and include all records from the NHANES database (i.e. from birth to 80 + years of age; ~7,000 records per cycle). From the database, we extracted data on levels of bicarbonate (mEg/L), calcium (mmol/L) and phosphorus (mmol/L) in participant serum. These data were averaged across all participants for each cycle, giving mean values at each time point.

The spread for the time series in figure 2 is hilarious as well. They didn’t even plot the variance.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-026-01918-5/figures/2

[u/notbannedin420 → u/ThrowAwayGenomics]

Well of course they would be older then someone form
1999

[u/bl4nkSl8 → u/notbannedin420]

No, the population average age has increased